Ron Santo, a nine-time All-Star who amassed 342 home runs and five Gold Glove awards, has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee, it was announced today.
Santo was the lone candidate to garner the necessary 75% of votes cast by the 16-member Golden Era Committee, which considered a ballot of eight former players and two executives whose contributions to the game were most significant from 1947-1972. The Golden Era Committee held meetings on Sunday in Dallas, site of the baseball winter meetings.
Santo becomes the 12th major league third baseman to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first elected at the position since Wade Boggs in 2005. Including three selections from the Negro leagues, there are now 15 third basemen in the Hall of Fame. In 15 major league seasons, Santo compiled a .277 lifetime batting average, with 2,254 hits in 2,243 games, while totaling 1,331 runs batted in and 365 doubles.
Santo, who passed away on Dec. 3, 2010, will be joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2012 by any electees who emerge from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting, which will be announced on Monday, January 9.
Results of the Golden Era Ballot (12 votes needed for election): Ron Santo (15 votes, 93.75%); Jim Kaat (10 votes, 62.5%); Gil Hodges (9 votes, 56.25%); Minnie Minoso (9 votes, 56.25%); Tony Oliva (8 votes, 50%); Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Allie Reynolds and Luis Tiant each received less than three votes.
Santo and Bert Blyleven were for the longest time the standard bearers for Players Not In The Hall Of Fame Who Most Deserve To Be. Now that both of them are in, I’d put Tim Raines at the top of that list; I’ll have to think about it for pitchers. I’m glad the Golden Age Committee – basically, the Veterans Committee for post-WWII players – corrected this oversight. If only it could have been done while Santo was still with us. Regardless, well done and congratulations to Ron Santo.
Bill Dahlen.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dahlebi01.shtml